Robots.Jobs addresses robotic skills shortage with a national approach

Packed expo hall at the 2018 Robotics Summit. While the predictions of massive job displacement because of automation have yet to be proven, the more immediate problem of filling positions at companies developing or building robots remains urgent. Robots.Jobs is a new resource for matching specialized talent with employers in robotics, artificial intelligence, and related technologies across the U.S. “These emerging and growing companies have a common challenge, and that’s finding talent,” said Joyce Sidopoulos, innovation community manager at the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council ( MassTLC ) and co-founder of MassRobotics and Robots.Jobs. “After speaking with companies in Boston, Pittsburgh, and Silicon Valley and searching the Internet, we couldn’t find a good and consolidated resource where students, job seekers, and hiring companies in these fields could find each other. Robots.Jobs aims to be the resource to do just that.” In addition, people with robotics and AI skills are needed to meet industry demand. In manufacturing alone, the skills gap could grow from 488,000 unfilled jobs last year to 2.4 million open jobs in 2028, according to a study last fall by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute. Several observers have noted that good-paying jobs exist for people who can work with robots. Stiff competition “It’s a very competitive landscape out there, and finding senior-level talent that isn’t already happily employed is proving very challenging for some companies,” said Noah Roffman, co-founder of Robots.Jobs. “There is simply less talent right now than opportunities out there.” Robotics startups need help competing with established tech firms for job candidates, notes SVR’s Andra Keay. “The problem is very serious,” said Andra Keay, managing director of Silicon Valley Robotics (SVR). “Competition is stiff for people who are useful in robotics. They often have the exact skills that are in high demand at every major technology […]